


Irregular Hours

by manateehugger



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-22
Packaged: 2018-04-30 15:52:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5169614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manateehugger/pseuds/manateehugger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Byerly is having a bad night, or day depending on how you look at it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Byerly Vorrutyer was having a rough night, or day depending on how you looked at it. He traced it back to the incompetence of the Vorbarra Sultana Prosecuter’s office. Honestly, he’d laid out all the evidence as neatly as possible and fed bits and pieces of clues to the Imperial Guard for the past few weeks. It was like Hansel leaving a trail of breadcrumbs to the witches house and the flying monkeys ate up half the trail. Wait, was that how it went?

It was tough for Byerly to tell when he was drugged senseless and being viciously beaten in an alleyway. By couldn’t stand much less defend himself as he was. His vestibular system was bitched to hell and his limbs wouldn’t obey him even if he could tell which way was up.

The Imperial Prosecutor had looked at some of the evidence Byerly had passed on, but had discounted parts of it. As a result Anton Voreedi, third son of a cadet branch of the Voreedi clan was sentenced to prison time for corruption and embezzlement in regards to the building of several civil offices in downtown Vorbarra Sultana. Unfortunately, his sister wasn’t. 

Even more unfortunate for Byerly was the fact that Annabelle Vortela was aware of his role in her brother’s imprisonment and was now seeking revenge. 

By had gone to meet with a snitch, a fellow he knew and had dirt on. By hadn’t expected the man to help drug him. Of course if By was dead maybe the snake figured no one else would find out about that furry costume and those ‘business meetings’ away from the wife. By really should have been more careful.

Somewhere in his mind By thought it incredibly sexist that women still weren’t viewed as being as capable of incredible violence as men. Particularly when one of her hired brutes, a blonde fellow, kicked him in the face. The blonde was the ring leader, with the face of a man who’d gladly bayonet a baby without waiting for orders to do so. His less vicious but completely obedient subordinates included a slimmer brunette who wore dark glasses even though it was dark out and a boy barely out of his teens with green hair. 

The worst part was they didn’t say anything when they attacked him. Byerly couldn’t even take satisfaction in mocking their poor vocabulary. Not that he could in his state, his mouth and lips couldn’t form the words. He could barely spit the blood that was pooling in his mouth, a result of the most recent blow to the head.

Guess Annabelle didn’t pay enough for you to be good conversationalists, By thought. Byerly almost asked that of the blonde, his mouth opened. But the muscles weren’t working properly. He puked instead, right on the blonde’s boots. 

The man didn’t scowl or shout of become infuriated. He was utterly emotionless. 

He stepped back.

He glanced at green-hair and nodded his head in By’s direction. 

“Anatoli, would you like the privilege,” the blonde asked.

Is this fight already over, I was just getting started, By tried ask. A whimper passed through his lips. They’d already taken his wallet and ID. By knew the blonde intended to make it look like a mugging gone wrong. Byerly was to die, hence the blonde’s willingness to use his subordinates real name.

Dying, just as I lived, drugged up and in the gutter, By thought. He hoped someone would put something witty on his grave. He hoped he could count on Dono for that.

“Hey,” a voice called from the mouth of the alley.

Everyone turned. 

The blonde was moving to pull out a weapon from his coat pocket, a plasma arc.

The voice at the end of the alley was no heroic Imperial Guard present to rescue fair maidens and town clowns from danger. It was some snot nosed kid.

By closed his eyes, as much from the pain of this situation as from an attempt to prevent himself from puking again.

“Get lost,” Slim said.

“You get lost,” the kid said. 

God, his voice hadn’t even dropped yet, had this kid hit puberty? Probably not, now the only thing that was going to hit the boy was a plasma arc to the face if he didn’t run.

Green hair had taken out his plasma arc. He wasn’t pointing it at the kid so much as showing it off.

“If you don’t got anything like this shorty you best be on your way,” Green hair said with a distinct country accent.

“I’ve got something better,” the kid said pulling a needle grenade from his pocket. He held down the deadman’s switch and pulled the pin.

“You shoot me and this sucker goes off. So what do you want to do,” the kid demanded. No doubt the little idiot had been watching plenty of holovids about this.

The blonde realized this too and seemed to decide that he didn’t trust the intelligence of the boy enough to stay and trade threats or coerce the kid. 

The blonde made a slight hand gesture and he and his crew peeled off quickly down the opposite end of the alley.

The boy breathed a sigh of relief and reinserted the pin before taking his hand off the deadman’s switch.

By screamed.

The boy rolled his eyes, “it’s a dud.”

“How,” By managed to demand, though his real question was longer and more expletive laden.

“My grandfather brought it back as a souvenir from the Escobaran invasion,” the kid said.

Only on Barrayar would human scalps and grenades be considered suitable presents for children, By thought. 

The boy drew closer to By who shivered in the cold. His coat had been taken from him. Meanwhile the boy was dressed more sensibly in a battered but use-able great coat and a knit cap.

“You should probably get up before they come back. It’s not really safe on the streets right now, but there’s a homeless shelter a few blocks down if you need it,” the kid said matter of factly.

“Not homeless,” By growled.

The kid stared at him, but didn’t seem to appreciate how well tailored By’s clothes were. It was probably because they were torn and caked in mud and blood.

“I thought you were another hobo that Cato was tormenting. I heard he set the last one on fire,” the boy said glancing up the way the others had retreated.

The boy seemed nervous.

“Cato,” By managed.

“The blonde man, with the face that looks like he’d enjoy stomping on puppies,” the kid said.

By nodded, it made his head swim and he promptly rested it on the pavement in some parody at prayer in order to avoid puking.

“Seriously though, I have to go to work so you need to get yourself up and out of here,” the kid said reaching down and trying with minimal success to get Byerly to stand up on his own.

“This late,” Byerly demanded. His head still wasn’t on right, full sentences were beyond him for the moment. It was not a question of being mentally incapable but physically, his muscles wouldn’t cooperate.

“This early. I work at a bakery before school,” the boy clarified.

“Got to put food on the table somehow,” he murmured either to himself or to Byerly.

“Do you want me to call you an autocab,” the boy asked.

“Would be nice,” By managed as he leaned against the boy for support.

“Do you have a credit chit I can use,” the boy asked as they headed towards the mouth of the alley and out into the expanse of the Hamlet, a section of Vorbarra Sultana which housed starving artists, new immigrants and drug addicts. The shops in the area were all closed for the night, some were merely locked down with old fashioned metal, others had mini-force shields. Some relied on security cams to keep the merchandise safe. 

By was familiar with the area.

“No,” he admitted. By tried to figure out how to explain to the boy that he could call his cousin Dono and ask for him to send Szabo around.

The kid frowned at this.

“Well I don’t have money to be sending you all over the district. Could I put you on a metro tram,” the boy asked.

“No,” By said firmly.

“Why not,” the kid asked irritably. Whatever good will he’d felt towards By was rapidly draining away. 

By remembered the last time he’d been to the Hamlet Metro. There was a large mural of the Siege of Vorbarra Sultana put up recently to honor the battle which Dorca the Just had fought and won in order to unify the Imperium. It was horribly done with several historical inaccuracies.

“Political reasons,” By muttered.

Actually he’d drunkenly pissed on the mural and had been banned from the station but no need to discuss that now. Rather By was increasingly concerned that he was getting worse, rather than better. He felt sicker and the pain in his head and chest were beginning to cloud his thoughts further.

“Hospital,” By insisted.

Perhaps Annabelle had decided that Byerly would die tonight either by Cato’s hand or by the drug he’d been injected with. She was thorough if nothing else, By decided.

The boy considered him.

Byerly was beginning to shake, a full body shiver that had little to do with the cold.

“Is this some drug thing,” the boy asked.

Yes, but not in the way you think it is you little guttersnipe now take me to a damn hospital before I expire on you, Byerly thought irritably.

To the boy’s credit he half dragged Byerly to a drab looking building marked Hamlet Family Medical Clinic. It looked to be a prole clinic for the city’s poor, but any medical doctor was likely better than no doctor at this point. 

Except the door didn’t open. By noted that the damn clinic had hours, like a convenience store. Except its hours weren’t very convenient.

The boy rested By against the red brick wall of the clinic before punching in some numbers on his wristlink.

“Eva, it’s me Arkady, could you open up. I have a guy here and he’s hurt real bad,” the kid said.

A few minutes later an old woman came to the door of the clinic. She glanced at both of them through the plasma resistant glass and shook her head. Byerly wondered for one horrible minute if she would refuse them entry.

But her fingers danced across the pad lock for the door and it opened.

“Honestly Arkady it’s much easier when you bring me cats that got hit by cars,” the woman complained.

“But all you do in those cases is put them down,” Arkady, the boy complained.

“It’s all I can do at that point. This on the other hand,” she waved a hand to indicate Byerly.

“Poisoned,” Byerly muttered.

What he really meant to say was, I’ve been poisoned you old hag and I want you to figure out what it is because I know damn well you don’t want a dead ImpSec agent on your hands.

“What did he say,” the woman asked.

“He said he’s been poisoned. I found him being roughed up in an alleyway by Cato,” Arkady explained helping By into the clinic.

The woman’s eyebrows rose in alarm at the name, “Cato? You mean – Arkady are you mad? Don’t you know better than to mess about with a man like that?”

“But you were the one who told me he murdered that homeless man,” Arkady noted, helping By into a drab exam room. The lighting was cheap and Byerly was growing concerned about the sort of drugs that would be available to him here. God knew if the woman would put him down like one of the cats Arkady apparently brought in.

“That was a warning to stay away from him,” the woman said in exasperation. She slapped on some gloves, murmuring something about not knowing where By had been and proceeded to take a blood sample from him. 

“This one is just some drug addict. He’ll probably end up dead in a gutter anyway,” Eva said indicating Byerly with disgust.

“Eva you can’t say that,” Arkady said, scandalized.

“I’m simply being realistic. I’ve seen enough of these sorts of men to know what to expect,” Eva said.

Perhaps she had, Byerly mused.

The woman frowned at the blood sample she'd collected which was rapidly turning on odd color of green in the tube.

She muttered an oath then stepped out of the room.

It was much warmer in the room than it was outside, By noted. He still shivered. 

Arkady sighed and pulled off his hat, revealing shoulder length hair. Byerly looked at the girl who had so recently passed for a boy. By kicked himself for not realizing Arkady was a girl. Not that it mattered he supposed. She was hardly more than a toddler anyway.

“Eva is really not that bad you know. Just a bit rough around the edges,” Arkady apologized for her friend who may or may not have medical experience. Eva certainly had no bedside manner, By decided snidely.

By tried to summon the strength to speak, but as time passed he found it harder to speak, even breathing became laborious. He was starting to worry that Eva really was going to wait for him to die.

He had trouble breathing a sigh of relief when the old woman returned and stabbed him in the arm with a needle.

“Will he be alright,” Arkady asked in concern.

Byerly blacked out before he heard the answer.

 

Byerly woke again in a dark room and jerked up into a sitting position. Seconds later he felt a burst of joy in his chest at realizing he could even do that. He was lying on a couch with plastic covering on it in a room with two other couches and a sink. No commconsole, no other people. He got up slowly, thankful that he could walk properly, and opened the door.

The hallway led back out into the main clinic which was now filled with assorted people. From guys who looked like they’d had as bad of a night as By to women with snotty, screaming infants. He turned around and almost ran into the old woman, Eva.

She looked at him with irritation and moved to step around him.

“What happened,” By managed.

“You had taken a hefty overdose of synthetin, a drug typically given as an anesthetic. It induces nausea, paralysis and vertigo when taken in huge quantities. I administered a drug to reverse these symptoms. You’re welcome,” Eva explained.

Byerly considered this, so if Cato had failed for whatever reason Annabelle had meant for By's death to look like he’d overdosed on a narcotic. 

Byerly considered making a sarcastic comment about the woman’s behavior, but at present he was simply grateful that he was alive and his body was obeying him again.

“I owe you my life,” By said.

“Well you can pay that back at the teller’s desk up front if you have any credit. Though I doubt you do,” Eva stated dismissively.

“Not much for finer sentiments, huh,” By asked.

“Not from drug addicts,” she stated successfully getting around him. She had a data chart in hand, likely moving to call her next victim or patient into the back.

“And what about the girl, Arkady,” Byerly asked. He figured he owed the pipsqueak something considering he’d probably made her miss work taking him to the clinic. Arkady didn't seem like she could afford to miss work.

Eva rounded on him, like a viper, “you leave her alone. If you have such strong feelings about paying her back you’d do well to steer clear of her. Your kind only brings trouble.”

Maybe it was the fatigue, or the nearly getting his head kicked in or almost dying from a chemical overdose, but her attitude was really starting to annoy By.

“Would I be able to use a commconsole to cage a ride or are you going to accuse me of trying to steal something,” By demanded.

The woman scowled but pointed him to some commconsoles near the front of the office just in front of the secretaries desks.

By sat down at one and considered the scratched up screen and key pads. Byerly tried not to think of what else had touched the key pads and reminded himself that he ought to be dead anyway. So who needed to worry about whether the last person to operate it had open sores?

He keyed in Count Dono’s number. It was the second ring before By’s cousin answered.

Count Dono’s eyes widened as he took in Byerly’s bruised face.

“What the hell happened to you? You look like you got fucked by a bear.”

By smiled, “if only. I ran into some muggers last night. I’m at a clinic in Hamlet. Could you send Szabo around to pick me up, and uh bring money.”

Dono looked concerned but nodded. Clearly Byerly looked so terrible that Dono didn’t even have the heart to joke further.

By passed on the address to Dono after getting it from one of the stern faced secretaries. Then he sat in the waiting room with the proles and considered things.

He considered how damn lucky he was that the idiot girl had come along to save his ass. He imagined that Arkady dressed like a boy since her job had her going out at unsafe hours and she wanted to avoid being assaulted. By wondered what connection Arkady had to Eva. He didn’t think Eva was her mother, or other female relative, but there was a definite connection. 

But mostly Byerly thought about how to handle Annabelle Vortela. He didn’t want to go to the guard just yet since there was no evidence that Annabelle had directed Cato and his groupies to assault By. If By reported the incident now Cato might be locked up, which would be a good thing, but Annabelle could find a replacement psychopath to fill his shoes quickly.

Szabo arrived, his eyebrows raised as he took in By’s visage.

“Yes, Dono already told me I look like I had relations with a bear. Would you mind paying the nice woman at the desk for my medical treatment,” By requested.

Szabo nodded. He spoke to one of the secretaties who straightened up in alarm at seeing a liveried man. Even Eva, the surly doctor stared in shock as By left in Szabo’s company.

Still think I’m not worth much, Byerly wanted to ask her. 

“I should take you to a proper doctor,” Szabo insisted as By climbed into the groundcar. Apparently he didn’t care for the prole environment of the clinic.

Byerly didn’t argue. He did let his guard down enough to rest. But only for a short time.


	2. Chapter 2

“So will you tell me yet why you almost died in that alleyway,” Count Dono asked over afternoon tea several days later. 

After By’s near death experience Dono had insisted that By stay at Dono’s home in the district for a few days. By had managed to excuse himself from that privilege. Dono had been irritated by Byerly’s stubbornness, reasonably pointing out that By would be much safer in the Vorrutyer household than at his flat and that By wouldn’t be able to work in his condition anyway. Both points were true. By was still lying low and recuperating from his beating. 

On one hand By was grateful for the arrival of galactic technology since it meant that the teeth he’d lost during the one sided fight were replaced and regrown in a matter of days. He was less certain about how he felt towards the spider-like microscopic nanites which had been released into his blood stream to mend his broken ribs. He was growing concerned that the odd feelings in his chest were literally butterflies in his stomach. 

He was also displeased with the relative ease with which well-meaning relatives could track him down. There used to be a time where relatives had to travel for days or weeks to harass you about your health. Now it was a matter of minutes to hours, By lamented silently.

Not that he disliked spending time with Dono, usually. Except when By was trying to figure out both how much Annabelle knew about him and just what her plans were since he had survived. Would she retreat or try again? 

“Annabelle Vortela, what do you think about her,” By asked.

Dono raised an eyebrow, “she’s the sort of woman who would try to hug you just so she could get close enough to stab you. By, I concede that she’s gorgeous but I hope your recent assault wasn’t the result of some attempt to woo her for pleasure or, otherwise.”

Dono knew what By did, sort of. At least Dono knew that By was a deep cover ImpSec agent. But By never discussed specific cases with his cousin.

By shook his head, “I only see her at the same places you see her, the Emperor’s birthday, winterfair and Midsummer. Otherwise we don’t spend time in each other’s company.”  
This was all true. It was also a careful evasion of Dono’s inquiry.

“So why the interest,” Dono asked.

By shrugged, “I heard a rumor that she was courting Vadim Vortugalov. He seems like he’s not a complete ass. I just don’t want to see him go the way of her first husband is all.”  
Dono took a bite of one of the pastries in front of him, “but she wasn’t even investigated for Kazimir’s death. Are there second thoughts about it now?”

Like a good vor maiden Annabelle Voreedi had been married off at the ripe age of eighteen to a man twice her age, Kazimir Vortela. She was a few years older than Byerly, and her parents had been conservative so the woman had received no education beyond secondary school. But then it wouldn’t have mattered to Kazimir or her parents, they all expected her to stay home to raise her children and supervise her staff. Kazimir for his part was not the first born son, and thus never inherited a countship. He made only a half-hearted attempt to get into the Imperial Military Academy. Only his doting mother was surprised when he failed at that. If Kazimir’s father had allowed it Kazimir likely would have become a town clown, happy to spend his family’s money without generating any of his own. Unfortunately, Kazimir’s father bequeathed the young man a restaurant in the Vortela district and told him that this was all the inheritance he would be getting.

Kazimir nearly ran the place into the ground. The only thing that saved it was his death. After Kazimir died in a light flyer accident, which he actually ran into the ground, his wife Annabelle Vortela took over and managed not merely to turn a profit but to open up a second restaurant in Vorbarra Sultana. 

By shrugged, “like you said, she’d move in to hug you just to get close enough to stab you. I’ve got no evidence that she killed her first husband and I don’t think anyone ever will. They cremated the body after all. No way to do chemical testing to see if he’d been impaired at the time of his death.”

“I didn’t think there was any doubt that he was impaired. But then Kazimir was known to be a heavy drinker,” Dono noted.

By snorted, “who among the Vor isn’t known to be a heavy drinker?”

Dono mused on this, or perhaps on By’s taciturn behavior.

“For what it’s worth I haven’t heard much about her and Vadim. I did hear some rumors about her and the Imperial Prosecutor, Grigori Vorzetsky. Do you think she’s taking a more traditional approach to trying to get her brother out of prison,” Dono asked.

By shook his head, “those rumors have been investigated. Vorzetzky was cleared of any favoritism in her and her brother’s trials.”

“You still think Annabelle is guilty of helping her brother in cooking his accounting books. But the Imperial Prosecutor didn’t,” Dono remembered.

“Anton spent a lot of his time high as a jump station, no way he could have set up that accounting system so flawlessly without help,” By noted.

“It was the drug habit that led you to the embezzlement, was it,” Dono asked. 

“I wouldn’t have known to look for anything, otherwise. We crossed paths one evening at a party. He was high on something and talkative, and I took advantage. It was easy to point out the inconsistencies in his books when he told me where to look,” By admitted.

“But how do you know it was Annabelle who was helping and not say his vice president,” Dono insisted.

By shook his head, “the vice president was a prole. That’s fine for doing business, but do you really expect a Vor like Anton to trust a prole with that kind of information?”

Dono made a face, “no. I can’t imagine his wife would have helped either. I remember back in school she declared, to our headmistress no less, that she wouldn’t sit through another math class. She thought being too educated was unladylike. Poor idiot.”

By snorted at this and reached for a pastry of his own.

“But surely you had more proof than just a hunch when you passed on information to the prosecutor,” Dono persisted.

“There wasn’t any direct evidence of her machinations. Annabelle has never been so obvious as to log onto Anton’s accounting book system and start changing numbers. But Anton’s account had unusual login dates and places. None in Vortela district of course, Annabelle knows enough or pays someone enough to get a proper router that altered the IP address. Then there was vid evidence of Annabelle visiting her brother in his office. Not that any audio was ever obtained implicating her, so observers might assume it was just a sister visiting her brother. Though she didn’t visit Anton during the time he was under surveillance in his office.”

“You think someone warned her,” Dono asked.

“Like I said, the Imperial Prosecutor was cleared of any favoritism towards her or her brother. There’s no evidence that a local guard was intentionally or unintentionally warning her away but I suppose that is also a possibility,” By conceded

“And it’s not possible that Anton’s brothers would help Anton is it? Anton’s eldest brother, is off on Sergyar serving the Virceroy. The middle brother is on Komarr helping with terraforming,” Dono surmised.

By nodded.

“So you think Annabelle was behind those goons who tried to kill you,” Dono asked seriously.

By was certain that this was the case. But By wasn’t willing to admit this to Dono or his handler. They’d likely want him to lie low. It was the Vorrutyer blood in him that made By want to continue this case. After all the unofficial family motto was “if no one has tried to kill you recently, you’re doing something wrong.”

In that vein, Byerly had an interest in visiting a particular restaurant in Vorbarra Sultana. But his body kept reminding him that it might be best to wait. 

He had somewhere else to go first.

By had figured out where the girl, Arkady lived. It hadn’t been difficult considering that Arkady was such an unusual name for a girl. He figured he owed her something for her troubles, and he intended to pay her back.

By made his excuses to Dono and escaped after promising to come for dinner a few nights later. 

By climbed into his car and headed off for the Dunbar apartments. He arrived at a set of buildings with a parking lot full of older vehicles. The building itself did not look particularly dilapidated though it had none of the panache of By’s apartment complex. He supposed this was thanks to Gregor’s more recent decrees on more stringent building codes. No slum lords in Vorbarra Sultana, thank you very much. 

By noticed some men watching him with interest as he got out of his vehicle. At least they didn’t appear overtly hostile, he thought. One of them, a younger man, swung an umbrella casually in his hands thought it wasn’t cloudy, much less raining. By thought this odd but had no interest in engaging these men in discussion.

He knew the girl’s address and so headed towards her building within the apartment complex. An older woman, sitting on the steps and enjoying the sun was quick to point him back towards the small group of men he’d just left. When By explained that he was here to see a girl the older woman looked disgusted, but still buzzed him into the building. Byerly thought to explain, with a wink, that if he were looking for that bit of entertainment he preferred a woman with experience. But he didn’t fancy being beaten up so he kept walking. 

He did think it strange that she would let him in even if she didn’t approve of what she thought he was doing. But then any pimps in the area would be quick to make their voices heard if someone tried to deny them customers, By thought shrewdly.

He noted the security sensors at the door which would tell if he was carrying a weapon as he walked in, but he noticed there was no security guard nor even a desk for a security guard in the entrance chamber. So who would stop him if he did enter with a weapon? The next thing he wondered was whether or not the sensors even worked. But this wasn’t his problem By decided. The lift was out of order so Byerly was forced to take the stairs to the third floor. 

Byerly arrived at Arkady’s door and checked his chrono. It was late afternoon, time enough that she ought to be back from school.

He knocked on the door. 

He knew someone was inside since he could hear the holovid playing.

“You won’t win this time GhemGeneral Dilandau,” the brave Barrayaran shouted.

By didn’t know which show was being watched, probably some children’s program that was extremely violent and highly historically inaccurate.

He knocked again more loudly.

After a moment the door swung open to reveal a boy of about ten.

“Who are you,” the kid demanded. He was dressed in nothing but his skivvies. A school uniform of about his size was tossed carelessly on a chair. 

“I’m Byerly Vorrutyer, I’m looking for Arkady Demidev. I owe her something,” By said. 

The apartment was crammed. There was a galley style kitchen with a stove and perhaps two feet of counterspace, a sink and a refrigerator that blended into a living room that also served as the dining room. Beyond there were two rooms. The door to one was being opened as By stood there while the other was closed. It was clean at least.

A man stepped out of one of the back rooms and slumped against a wall. He was a tall man, also in his skivvies. 

Did this family hate wearing clothing, By wondered. 

“Is’t Pavel,” the man demanded squinting at Byerly. He wasn’t slurring his words but there was something odd about his intonations.

“No Da, it’s a Byerly Vorrutyer. He’s here for Arkady,” the boy said.

At the mention of Arkady’s name the man surged forward.

“You son of a bitch,” the man snarled.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” Byerly began starting to back away. He had no desire to receive a second beating this week.

Despite the ostensibly intoxicated state the man was in he moved quickly and was on Byerly before By had a chance to run.

“I didn’t touch your daughter. She saved my life,” By tried to explain as he covered his face with his arms.

“Oh man,” the boy said. By couldn’t tell if the boy was exhilarated or horrified by this. He hoped it was the latter emotion. 

An instant later By was vaguely aware that the boy ran off, leaving By to his fate. By’s primary concern was to protect himself from the blows that the man, presumably Arkady’s outraged father, was raining down on him. In truth, while the man’s fury was undoubtedly great, his assault was nowhere near as effective as Cato and his gang’s had been. The greater assault was made on By’s nose. This man smelled sickly sweet like open sewage. By couldn’t imagine that this was simply a result from not bathing. Based on the dilated pupils and the man’s breathing rate By imagined the man was a frequent user of certain mind altering substances. 

The man had stopped his onslaught and was simply breathing heavily, already tired out, on top of Byerly when By heard footsteps pounding up the stairs.

“You better hurry, Da is killing him,” the boy said.

By was irritated that the boy sounded excited by this idea rather than concerned. He saw the boy and Arkady, now in a blouse and skirt come up the stairs.

“Oh my God,” Arkady said in horror as she ran over. 

“Da, you have to get off of him,” Arkady said grabbing her father’s arm.

“Who is this, what did he do to you,” Arkady’s father demanded getting unsteadily to his feet. 

Arkady’s father rounded on his daughter, and for a moment By thought he was going to hit her. Instead he collapsed against her. She managed to support both of them, much like she’d done when Byerly was drugged. 

“Did he touch you,” the man demanded.

Arkady turned bright red.

“No, of course not,” she declared.

“Your daughter saved me while I was being mugged a few days back. I just wanted to repay her,” Byerly explained getting off the ground without help and pulling out a credit chit. He wondered how things had gone this wrong this quickly.

Arkady blinked at By, “I thought you were homeless.”

“He doesn’t look homeless. He looks rich,” the boy observed.

Amazing what a new pair of clothes can do for a person, By mused.

Arkady’s father wasn’t listening though, he was in his own little world.

“Arkady you don’t have to sell yourself, we can get money some other way,” the man insisted.

“Christ Da, I’m not selling myself, I have a job. I work at a bakery, you’ve seen the bakery. Piotr could you help me get Da back inside,” Arkady asked maneuvering the man into the apartment.

The boy followed and helped lead the man back into the second bedroom. 

Arkady leaned against the kitchen counter.

“My Da didn’t hurt you did he,” she asked Byerly worriedly.

He mostly flopped around on top of me rather than properly pounding me. It reminded me a great deal of my first homosexual experience, By thought. But he didn’t think that was a suitable thing to say to a child.

“No, I’m fine. He ah, doesn’t do that with the two of you does he,” By asked. 

“My Da would never hit us. He’s just… he’s been having trouble readjusting since Mama died,” Arkady said.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” By said. 

Arkady hesitated before continuing; “It’s been a few years… she had brain cancer. Odd how galactic technology can let us replace certain organs but not others.”  
Yes, if you could get your father a new brain he might be able to properly raise you, By thought irritably. He knew a bit about delusional fathers who jumped to their own conclusions.

“Is it just the three of you then? Your father, your brother and you,” By asked.

He could guess at the family dynamics based on the ages of the children. The parents had their first child, Arkady, who was seventeen according to her file. They’d had been disappointed about having a girl. They’d waited until the pill that allowed for a sex selective body birth was available before trying again for a coveted son. 

Arkady nodded, “My mother’s younger brother is an Imperial Officer on Komarr with his family and my Da is an only child. Eva comes by sometimes. My mama was a nurse and worked with her. Is that how you found out where I live?”

No. 

“Sort of, so do you spend a lot of the time at the clinic with Eva,” By asked. 

“I try to. But I work in the mornings and then some evenings I do tutoring. It’s not a paying job since, well it’s something to put on my resume if I apply to college,” the girl said. She seemed embarrassed to even admit this goal.

By caught himself before he asked the damning question: why wouldn’t you go to college? Looking around the apartment he already knew why. 

By didn’t know what else to say.

“I’m not a prostitute,” she blurted, clearly embarrassed by her father’s antics.

“I never thought you were,” By assured her. He’d met enough men and women of that profession that he could typically identify them, or at least the ones who’d been doing it for a while.

By realized how uncomfortable she was with him in her home. They exchanged a few more stilted words and she made a half hearted attempt to invite him to dinner. By got the message with ease and made excuses so he could leave. 

By handed her the credit chit he’d brought with him. Arkady didn’t even pretend that the family didn’t need the money.

Before he had arrived at the apartment he’d calculated how much he figured she’d make at her job, then added in her taxi services, a medical consultation fee and then tripled the number and had felt good about himself. He’d also added it to his expense report as a service rendered. He felt justified in doing so because she had saved him while he was performing his job, so technically paying her was a business expense.

Now he felt like it wasn’t enough.

Byerly headed back to his car feeling angry. At least the car was still there, he thought. Contrary to what the holovids would have one believe, the car had not been stripped of all its useful parts.

He did notice that the man with the umbrella was still present, sitting on a low wall, watching him. By now recognized that he must be a low level drug dealer. Was that the fellow who helped feed the addiction of Arkady’s father? Not that it mattered, By supposed. If the man insisted upon drugging himself he’d find a source.  
By sat down in his car and gripped the steering wheel. 

Arkady was a sweet kid. She had a kindness tinged with sadness that reminded By a great deal of his little sister.

So was that what this was about? Playing the brotherly protector to a girl now that his sister was married and didn’t need him anymore?

Byerly had been irritated by Eva’s assertions that he was a worthless addict.

It was fine when his relatives and acquaintances made such assertions based on his antics. It was another thing for a person who didn’t even know By to assert that he was a never do well.

He knew he’d meant to impress Arkady by showing up well dressed and properly coiffed, instead he’d humiliated her by showing how shabby she was in comparison.  
Byerly popped a pain killer and rested his head on the headrest.

He decided he couldn’t be Arkady’s fairy godmother. It wasn’t something he was made for since he was lacking the right parts and all that. But he knew someone who was more suited to the task. Count Dono had started several college scholarships to encourage young women to go to school. By didn’t care if it would be cheating if he casually suggested who the winner of one should be. If need be he could talk to Dono about scholarships for middle school boys to get the little brother out of the house as well. The father however was on his own, By thought coldly.

With that settled in his mind By began to consider the next steps for dealing with Annabelle Vortela.


	3. Chapter 3

Several hours later, By found himself among girls he was much more comfortable with; in particular Greta Vorbohn, youngest daughter of Count Vorbohn and the offspring most devoted to sending him to the grave with a heart attack due to her frequent antics. 

“So what would you give me if I could get us in to Zhivago,” she teased him with her question while simultaneously teasing him with her hand which she ran through his hair.

Zhivago was the name of Annabelle’s restaurant in Vorbarra Sultana, likely chosen because her original restaurant in Vortela district was called Chez Pasternak. 

Despite her playful tone By became deadly serious.

“Why would you suggest I’m dying to go there,” By asked keeping his own tone playful. He was admittedly more paranoid than usual after his near death experience. Though not as paranoid as his handler who had tried to get By to take time off of work to properly heal. But a Vorrutyer without a job was a Vorrutyer who would get himself into even more trouble. So By continued at his job.

“You did ask after Annabelle Vortela earlier, and then you attempted to excuse the question immediately after asking it. Byerly Vorrutyer, no one would have guessed you were so shy,” one of the other women, Tatiana Grishnov pointed out as she poured herself a drink.

By was seated, with Greta sprawled across him, on the couch of his host Cedric Vorven at the end of a small dinner party. Well, dinner wasn’t quite what the party had been about but By was in no mood to take any drugs that were harder than alcohol tonight. His host had treated him like a bit of a spoilsport for it, but hadn’t pressed Byerly unduly.

In fact Cedric hadn’t spoken to Byerly after the first hour when he’d disappeared with Svetlana Ghent. Most of the other guests had similarly been carted off already by belabored servants. Byerly was merely heading up the rear guard with the few remaining stragglers. 

Byerly snorted, “Annabelle doesn’t strike me as the type of woman who likes to have a good time. Just asking how she was handling her brother’s jail term. After all, I need juicy gossip to pass along so I’ll be invited to more dinner parties. People don’t tend to invite you out if you’ve got nothing interesting to say.”

Greta giggled at this, “you’re interesting enough without gossip about that shrew. I don’t think Annabelle Vortela has ever done anything interesting.”

“She’s so straight-laced,” Tatiana agreed as she shifted the semi-conscious Honore Viale, in order to sit down on the same couch as him. Honore wasn’t the only one passed out from the drugs Cedric had showered on them, merely one of the last to stay on. He was an Escobaran poet who had the decency not to impose his poetry on them. 

Annabelle Vortela was not straight laced, By thought, but an excellent actress. He didn’t say this aloud. He merely stroked Greta’s hair and considered his options. Unlike in the vids, he didn’t expect Annabelle to do anything particularly illegal while her restaurant was open and busy. Not that he was certain what he would catch her doing when it was closed anyway. 

Perhaps she would merely go to ground now that her brother had been caught. She seemed smart and patient enough, like a black widow, By decided. Annabelle might bide her time for years until another scheme could be worked out. 

Honore interrupted By’s thoughts by emitting an orgasmic moan and slowly pulling himself to a sitting position. The Escobaran brushed back his long hair and smiled at his audience. The fellow did like attention.

“I have never had such a trip before. It was almost better than sex,” he exclaimed casually tossing an arm around Tatiana who didn’t shy away.

She and Greta both scoffed at this idea.

“Honestly Honore, if you can say anything is better than sex you haven’t been doing it right,” Byerly quipped.

“I didn’t say it was, I said it almost was. Perhaps I should bring some of this marvelous drug home with me,” Honore said. 

“You’ll have to talk to Cedric about it. But I thought he mentioned it being imported from Komarr,” Greta observed.

“About time that planet provided some use,” Tatiana noted. 

“You mean besides the multiple wormholes we use to conduct business with the rest of the galaxy,” By asked.

Tatiana waved this away, she wasn’t vor but she was from a staunchly conservative family. She was another wealthy young woman with too much time on her hands and no expectations now that she’d married and produced 2 male offspring. Her family obligations did not hold her back. Her husband was off with his lover this week, a jumpship pilot, and the children were being dutifully raised by a household of servants.

“Byerly, you sound almost political,” Greta admonished him.

“Never, that’s my cousin’s job. I got the looks and he got the brains in my family,” By insisted.

Tatiana was also clear that she didn’t approve of Dono’s transformation, but was neither drunk enough nor willing to pretend to be drunk enough to say something inappropriate. She turned the conversation back to Honore.

“Cedric mentioned this drug, Bellarophon, was made from some of the plants that are now growing on Komarr thanks to the improving atmosphere,” Tatiana noted.

“One more good thing that’s come from terraforming,” By murmured.

Greta smiled up at him in amusement.

“So I should plan a long layover in Komarr is what you’re saying,” Honore said with a smile. Honore was in his mid twenties and still had a puppy-ish air to him. By thought Svetlana thought the man was cute, By merely found him irritating.

“How is Bellarophon getting to Barrayar,” By wondered aloud.

“The same way anything else does Byerly, by jumpship,” Greta observed in amusement.

But how? On commercial vessels dressed up as ornamental plants? On private vehicles that would be under less stringent scrutiny? If there was a new drug bursting onto the high vor scene By needed to know more about it, particularly how dangerous and addictive it was. Nothing more likely to cause mass panic than dead vor scions, he thought.

Cedric’s father was the owner of a trading company where Cedric was employed. Was Cedric helping to transport the drug commercially and merely giving his friends a taste off the top or was this drug supply a gift from someone for his private consumption?

By never viewed Cedric as an ambitious man, and more importantly Cedric did not typically travel with his father’s jumpships, he was content to go through the motions of working while carrying on a life of dissolution in Vorbarra Sultana. It seemed unlikely then that Cedric was behind this.

“You think I could get another hit,” Honore asked curiously.

Tatiana shook her head, “you haven’t even come down fully from the first one.”

“Besides, Cedric and Svetlana seem to be busy at the moment,” Greta observed in amusement.

“I’m not shy,” Honore said puffing out his chest in a comic display of machismo.

“But Cedric is, trust me you don’t want to interrupt them,” By said with a grimace. By had been talked into a three way with the pair one evening. Cedric seemed to believe that certain acts weren’t homosexual so long as neither party enjoyed it. 

“Drink some water, you’re probably dehydrated,” Greta said charitably.

Honore pouted.

By glanced out the window and noted that the sun was beginning to rise. He took in a deep breath and briefly thought about how nice it was to be indoors and reasonably in control of his faculties. 

 

By’s handler was still skittish about him wandering off and getting himself killed. So his meetings for the few days were low risk and uninteresting. By had even managed to get to bed at a reasonable hour that evening, only to be woken up by pounding at his door. It sounded like a man’s irate pounding, By decided trying to gauge if this was better or worse than a woman’s irately pounding at his door. At least with a woman you could count on a few psychological barbs to be thrown around before she reached for a plasma arc. It was harder to tell what to expect with a man.

“Byerly Vorrutyer,” the male voice demanded from outside.

By glanced through the peep hole to see a disheveled looking Honore. What the devil was the Escobaran doing here, By wondered. He opened the door to find out. Honore didn’t so much pounce at him as fall on him. By caught the younger man under the arms and immediately took in the sickly sweet smell the man was giving off. What did that remind him of?

“Byerly, where’s Cedric,” Honore asked attempting to right himself.

“How the devil would I know? He’s not here that’s for sure,” By declared.

“I need a favor,” Honore said quickly.

“Is it a bath? I suppose you could use mine,” By said. Though then his shower would need to be cleaned out afterwards.

“I need Bellarophon,” Honore insisted.

By took in Honore’s bloodshot eyes and two day old hair growth. By also considered that the Escobaran was a poet, probably used to taking mind altering drugs on occasion. Yet he hadn’t looked so bedraggled before this night. It made By wonder what was so special about Bellarophon that the young man would be dragged down by it.

“You need several hours of sleep, boy. Go home, I’ll even call you an autocab,” By suggested. 

“I don’t need sleep, I need the drug. I haven’t found Cedric in several days. I tried finding another dealer which went well the first time. But the second time they simply robbed me and I’m all out of the drug now,” Honore declared.

“Ah? Well lucky you’re not injured,” By observed semi-consciously rubbing his jaw.

His eyes narrowed as he suddenly remembered where he’d smelled that sticky sweet odor before.

“You went into Hamlet to get some Helios,” By asked. 

The Escobaran nodded.

So was that smell due to whatever they were cutting the drug with, By wondered. He hadn’t noticed any particular odors from Cedric or his friends during the actual party and despite the number of people taking it. But then Cedric was likely bringing in the highest quality fare for his friends. Surely the good addicts of Hamlet weren’t getting drugs of the same purity. By had been only marginally familiar with this drug a week ago and now it seemed to be something both the edgy Vor and the average addict were taking. 

“You think I’m stupid for it,” Honore accused.

Byerly was not convinced of the boy’s intelligence. But now was not the time to discuss that.

“I think you're lucky that Cedric is gone and you’re down to lower doses. With any luck you can wean yourself off that stuff,” By said. 

“Who are you to talk to me like this when you’re also an obvious addict,” the Escobaran accused.

By shrugged and decided to pour himself some wine. He thought he deserved it.

“Do you want some,” By asked.

Honore surprised him by bursting into tears.

By rubbed his head. It seemed that staying in did nothing to prevent him from being accosted. Better to get back to work anyway, By decided. Staying home and convalescing was boring him anyway.

 

It turned out that convincing Greta to make reservations at Zhivago was easy. Her only request was that he bring a date for her friend Anastasia Vorlightly. By knew just who to call.

“What is this about,” Ivan demanded suspiciously.

“Greta Vorbohn wants to go out to dinner tomorrow night and she wants me to bring a date for her friend Anastasia Vorlightly,” By explained.

There was nothing wrong with Anastasia Vorlightly, she was slightly younger than Greta with a well endowed figure and no nasty habits. Which was probably why she bored Byerly to tears. 

Ivan looked even more suspicious, “you want to go to a nice restaurant with two attractive women and you want me to come with you? What’s the catch? Am I paying for everyone?”

“It’s Greta’s birthday week. Her father has agreed to pick up the tab for everything she wants to do, provided it’s legal,” By explained.

Ivan was noncommittal.

“What else are you doing tomorrow evening,” By asked in exasperation.

“I have a lot of laundry,” Ivan said lamely.

“That’s what I thought, I’ll pick you up around eight. Wear something to impress, eh,” By said.

Ivan didn’t refuse so By took that as a good sign and cut the comm before Ivan changed his mind. 

Byerly liked the idea of bringing Vorpatril along for a variety of reasons. He was a decent conversationalist and would keep the women busy if By took a minute to look around the restaurant. Ivan was also a trained officer who any Barrayaran would think twice about shooting at. But even more importantly, Ivan had a constant security detail that followed him around. By figured that if they got into trouble there would be a watcher to call for help. But one that wasn’t devoted to watching By specifically so he’d still have freedom of movement. 

 

True to form Byerly arrived at Ivan’s flat about fifteen minutes after he said he would. Ivan hesitated only a moment before climbing into the vehicle that By and the two women already occupied.

“Ivan darling, I haven’t seen you in quite some time,” Greta commented.

“It’s because he’s already in bed by the time the parties you frequent actually start,” By noted.

“I have to get up early for work,” Ivan defended.

“It’s true. You work in Ops don’t you Ivan? I’m sure it’s very stressful,” Anastasia commented.

Greta snorted, “Anastasia please, he works in an air conditioned office in Vorbarra Sultana. It’s not as if he’s an ImpSec agent.”

“Hey! My work is important too,” Ivan defended.

“I’m sure you have to make a lot of tough decisions. Does your work keep you up late at night,” Anastasia asked. 

“No that’s my job,” By couldn’t help but put in with a smirk.

By was fairly certain Ivan would have hit him if By wasn’t driving.

“Go on Ivan, tell them what you can about your work,” By said.

Ivan briefly outlined his job. Anastasia seemed amazed. Greta looked bored.

“You’re like a glorified secretary,” she stated at one point.

“Except his messages decide who lives or dies,” Anastasia said fluttering her eyes at Ivan.

“Erm, well they’re not all that serious,” Ivan muttered uncomfortably.

“Well Ivan, congratulations on not putting our ladies to sleep before we reached the restaurant. Fortunately we’ve arrived,” Byerly said getting out of the car and passing his keys to the valet before moving to open the door for Greta. Byerly figured that with Ivan here, the ImpSec outer perimeter would be sure to warn them if anyone put a bomb on the underside of his car, so he didn’t worry about passing his keys off.

Ivan helped Anastasia out and they entered Zhivago.


	4. Chapter 4

Ivan was still trying to figure out By’s game as they were escorted to their table by the hostess. It was true the Impweasel had tricked him in the past, most notably by re-introducing Ivan to his ex-girlfriend who was no longer a girl. But then apparently Byerly had almost gotten his head beaten in by some thugs a little over a week back and seemed to still be recovering. Not that Ivan cared much beyond the fact that By still owed him money. Ivan wondered if this was part of some investigation but decided that the less he knew the better. He figured the Impweasel wouldn’t have invited Ivan if By didn’t expect some kind of help in return. How could Ivan say no when there were women who might be involved? Anastasia had already wrapped his arm around her. 

Nevermind that By might still be addled from his ordeal and would need someone to pull his nuts out of the fire. Nope, Ivan worked for Ops and it was not in his description to chase after Byerly. He was just here for the wine and the women tonight. 

Ivan glanced over to see Annabelle Vortela laughing with a tall blonde woman and her small husband, it was the ambassadress of Beta Colony and her lover. It seemed that Annabelle’s restaurant was able to attract some highly influential people. Though it was not nearly as crowded as Ivan would have thought considering that the wait list for a table was two weeks. 

Annabelle eventually removed herself from that table and headed towards theirs.

“Lord Vorpatril, so nice to see you again,” Annabelle said offering him a polite, if less than warm smile. But then Annabelle was not a particularly warm person. A lesser gentleman would have referred to her as an ice queen.

“Greta Vorbohn, how is Vorbarra Sultana University? I heard you’re almost ready to graduate,” Annabelle said.

After her seven years of university, it was about time, Ivan thought. Though rationally speaking he was still just sore that she’d called him a glorified secretary.

“Just another semester. I can’t wait to be done,” Greta said.

“Do you have plans after that,” Annabelle asked politely.

“Take some time off. I think I’ve earned it. My father keeps pleading with me to get married,” Greta said with a wave of her hand.

“Of course,” Annabelle said still maintaining a smile on her face.

She turned to Byerly and managed to look concerned, “I heard you’ve had a bit of a rough time this past week.”

“That’s what I get for partying too hard. But like my grandfather used to say, 'Only the good die young. The rest of us manage to claw our way back out of hell for another round',” By said with a razor sharp smile.

“So glad to see you’ve kept your sense of humor about the situation,” Annabelle noted.

“It’s one of the few things I could keep. My dignity however, was lost,” By said, more for the amusement of the ladies at the table.

“Well, let me simply say how glad I am that nothing more serious happened to you,” Annabelle stated.

“Oh, a few broken bones is hardly a distraction,” By said.

Ivan thought there was more going on here than he knew about. He was vaguely aware that Annabelle’s brother had just been arrested for embezzling money. Was Annabelle under investigation too?

Annabelle drifted off to another table. Anastasia was mildly put out that their hostess had forgotten to make an individual comment to her. Ivan tried to make up for it with a funny story. By drifted off at one point, claiming he needed to use the lav.

Ivan noticed him bump into a large, blonde man on the way back. The man was leaning over a table with two serious faced men. But the blonde didn’t look to be a waiter. The blonde and By didn’t say anything but Ivan saw a tension in the man’s body and wondered if he had taken the bump as a slight. But the moment passed and By sauntered back to the table as if nothing had happened. 

Dinner wound down and Byerly took the girls back to their respective abodes. Anastasia handed Ivan her commcard and told him to call. He nodded and accepted it but privately decided it would be best to avoid her for as long as possible. This was their first time going out and she’d spent an alarming amount of time discussing what she would want her wedding to look like.

“So did you learn anything interesting,” Ivan asked conversationally as he climbed into the front seat next to Byerly.

“I’m in the process of it,” By stated looking at something on his wristcomm.

“How would you like to go on an adventure, Ivan,” By asked keying something in.

“I think I’d rather go to bed,” Ivan honestly admitted as he watched a map pop up.

A red triangle popped up on the screen somewhere around old town Vorbarra Sultana. It was still moving.

“Did you bug that friend of yours at the restaurant,” Ivan asked.

Had he been on some sort of stake out? Ivan was used to being used as camouflage by other people, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed it. Ivan regretted not bringing his stunner now. He figured that if he was going to get shot at tonight he’d like to at least be able to shoot back. 

“I’m sure all of Vorbarra Sultana was aware that I was mugged at this point. Tonight I saw one of my assailants,” By said.

“The blonde fellow,” Ivan asked.

By flicked his eyes from the road to Ivan briefly, “I’m impressed that you can look after me while still entertaining two women.”

“My job requires a lot of multitasking. Besides mamere has had me on social duty since forever, it’s second nature at this point,” Ivan noted.

By smirked at this, but it quickly disappeared as he watched the triangle on the map. It had stopped moving and was hovering over a building marked ‘Dunbar apartments’ in the Hamlet. By stepped on the gas.

“Should I ask what this is about,” Ivan asked.

He knew ground cars could take a beating, but it was somehow different when he was in control of the car rather than when he was a mere passenger. Ivan was also fully aware that By never moved quickly unless he absolutely had to. At the moment Byerly had the pedal to the floor.

“I know someone who lives there,” By said.

“girlfriend,” Ivan asked. Or boyfriend, he supposed. What the hell was this all about?

“A girl. A child,” By answered seriously. It made Ivan uneasy when By forgot to be smarmy.

“I didn’t bring my stunner,” Ivan stated.

“I have weapons in the trunk,” By said as he pulled into the apartment complex. 

By was out and at the trunk before Ivan had unbuckled his seat belt.

“Should we call someone to report this before charging in anywhere. What the hell is this about,” Ivan demanded.

He wasn’t opposed to rescuing children. But he wanted to at least know what to expect.

“The blonde man, Cato and his two subordinates beat the hell out of me. This idiot girl came along and saved my life. She lives here. I don’t know how - or if this is all a horrible coincidence. I need to check on her,” By said.

Ivan didn’t argue as By shoved a stunner and holster towards him. By looked particularly pale under the street lights. 

But before they raced off to god knew where By seemed to catch sight of a figure who passed under a street light several yards away. It was a teenaged girl. She was heading into one of the apartment buildings.

“Arkady,” he called out.

The girl looked over at them in confusion as By made a bee line for her. It was alarming to see By actually put in the effort to run.

“Byerly, what are you doing here,” she asked as Byerly stopped in front of her. 

“Are you just getting home now,” By demanded. He was clearly trying to keep his voice casual but his body language was frantic.

“Yes. I was at the clinic with Eva. Why? Is something wrong,” Arkady asked glancing between the two of them. Byerly’s hysterical behavior was rapidly upsetting her.

“Perhaps not. I don’t mean to be delaying you any further. Why don’t we walk you back to your flat,” By said.

The girl glanced over at Ivan, uncertainly.

“This is Ivan Vorpatril, a captain in Imperial Operations by the way,” By said already shepherding them towards a building.

“A pleasure to meet you mademoiselle,” Ivan said offering the girl an affable smile.

She smiled shyly back at him.

“I was just talking to my cousin Dono about his scholarship program. Dono recently started several college scholarships for girls in his district,” By explained. Ivan knew they were not here in the middle of the night to talk about scholarships. But he didn’t know what By’s game was so he didn’t interrupt. Perhaps the doomsday scenario that By had been picturing wouldn’t come to pass. Maybe they could just exchange a few more pleasantries and get out of here. Ivan needed to wake up early tomorrow, some idiot had scheduled a meeting for first thing in the morning and Ivan’s attendance was demanded. 

“In his district? You’re related to Count Dono Vorrutyer,” the girl asked incredulously.

By raised his eyebrows at this, “surely that was obvious.” 

“I mean based on your name I knew that but I – well,” the girl babbled, absently swiping her key card to allow them into the building. She still seemed to be having trouble believing that two men raced out to tell her about scholarship opportunities. But at least she was talking to them and hadn’t reported them to the guard, Ivan decided. 

They passed through security scanners as they entered the building. But even though By and Ivan were wearing stunners the machines didn’t scream at them. Perhaps they were out of order this week, Ivan decided. He thought this was unsafe but didn’t know who to report the matter to.

“Would I have to write an essay or anything? How do I apply,” Arkady asked.

“Oh, I can check in with him. I’m sure it won’t be difficult,” By said absently. He was sweeping the halls with his eyes. It made Ivan antsy and he did the same thing as well. They hadn’t exactly hidden their stunners when they’d come across the girl. But neither of them had their weapons drawn. Arkady watched their actions but didn’t comment on the behavior.

Arkady had her keys out to let them in to a flat when By’s hand flashed out and took them from her. 

“Do me a favor and stand off to the side for a minute,” By said.

“What’s really going on,” Arkady asked.

Ivan had his stunner out, he wasn’t sure if he was hoping that By was right and they were going to have a shoot out or that By was wrong and they were about to make asses of themselves by interrupting people at dinner or watching a holovid. He considered it. No, definitely better to make asses of themselves, Ivan decided. At least that situation could be remedied. There would be no do-overs if they walked into a room of men carrying plasma arcs.

By moved to open the door, stunner in hand; his eyes were dancing manically. 

He opened the door and the tension in his arm died. He lowered the weapon. 

“Arkady stay there,” he ordered.

Ivan peeked around the door as By entered. He caught Arkady’s arm as she tried to move around him.

“We should go outside,” Ivan insisted, urgently trying to pull the girl with him.

Then call the guard. A medtech wouldn’t be much help now. Not with a head wound like that, he decided. 

She slid out of the coat he was holding onto and entered the room. Ivan caught up to her as she stopped to stand over a man in his skivvies. Ivan didn’t know if the killer had stripped the guy down or even how long he’d been lying there. He smelled terrible. The transmitter By had placed on Cato now rested on what was left of the man’s face; like a groutesque beauty mark.

“We should go outside,” Ivan said again, trying to pull her away from the murder scene.

“Did you know about this,” Arkady asked Byerly who seemed engrossed in examining something on the floor. Next to him, the holovid stand had been knocked over. But there were no other signs of overt struggle in the tiny flat. Not that there was much to knock over, Ivan supposed.

Byerly didn’t turn around.

“Answer me dammnit. Did you come here because you knew someone had shot my father,” she demanded, trying to shove Ivan away. 

“Arkady, let’s go sit outside. Let’s leave the scene as clean as possible for the forensics team, ok,” Ivan said, pleadingly.

“Forget the forensics team, where’s my brother Byerly,” Arkady shouted.

Ivan felt a sick sensation settle in his stomach. 

Byerly got up, but didn’t turn to them, he walked further down the hall.

“Byerly where’s my brother? He’s only ten years old,” Arkady shouted.

Byerly, stunner still out, walked into the two bedrooms in the back.

“This isn’t some mansion. We don’t have any hiding spaces or secret doors, you idiot,” Arkady shouted.

Ivan kept his arms around Arkady who was still struggling to break free. It was all Ivan could do to stop her from following Byerly into the back rooms. God knew what they’d find back there. All Ivan could tell was that Byerly had initially been fascinated by a bloody hand print on the floor. At least the print looked big enough to be a man’s and not a boy’s.

“Where’s my brother,” she shouted.

“He’s not back there,” Byerly said woodenly. He looked sick. But Ivan supposed none of them looked well just now.

Ivan was also surprised that none of the neighbors had come to check on this scene. Surely one of them would have heard the plasma arc blast or at least the shouting that was happening now. What was this about?

Byerly strode back towards them.

“His uniform is gone,” Byerly noted hesitantly as he glanced at an empty chair.

Ivan wasn’t sure whose uniform they were talking about. Had the man been stripped of his uniform? The cryptic message caused Arkady to cease struggling in Ivan’s arms. 

“Do you think Piotr’s ok? Did whoever do this to my father kidnap him,” Arkady asked desperately. 

“I think we should go outside and call the guard,” Byerly said, not looking directly at her as he headed for the door. 

Ivan managed to lead the distraught Arkady out after him.

She was crying now.

“Piotr’s probably really scared right now,” she said.

Ivan put an arm around her, “I’m sure the guard will do everything they can to find him.”

Not that it would necessarily matter, he thought morbidly.

Byerly was already talking to the guard station on his wristcomm, “yes a murder at the Dunbar apartments. Room 302A. No, I’m just a concerned neighbor, I heard a noise and the door was left ajar. There’s a body of a middle aged man on the floor. I don’t think it was drug related.”

Byerly closed the link and looked around.

“Arkady, where’s the man with the umbrella,” he looking off towards a low stone wall.

Arkady followed his gaze, “Pavel? I – I don’t know where he’s gone off to. Sometimes he does business elsewhere, or he sends a runner out.”

Ivan offered her a handkerchief to blow her nose, which she accepted.

“Do you think someone shot my Da over drugs? But on the comm you said –“ Arkady began.

“No,” Byerly said firmly.

She stared at him, then up at Ivan. But if she was hoping Ivan would elucidate she was sadly mistaken. He didn’t know anything more about this than she did.

“But then why is my Da dead? Why tonight of all nights,” she asked.

After the stuggle upstairs Arkady seemed worn out. She was shivering now and Ivan realized he’d dropped her coat in the hallway when he was trying to pull her away. He pulled off his own and dropped it over her. She hardly seemed to notice, Arkady was waiting for answers from By.

Byerly shook his head.

“But you knew something was wrong. Why else did you come out here,” she persisted.

“I fear that your father was killed as a way to punish me. That if you’d been in the flat you would be dead too. I think it was Cato,” Byerly admitted.

Arkady looked horrified.

“You can say it you know. Eva was right, I will be the death of you,” Byerly declared harshly.

Arkady didn’t yell. She pressed her face to Ivan’s chest and started to sob. Ivan was skilled in dealing with weeping women, though he didn’t enjoy it. He murmured soothing and contradictory, impossible statements into her ear as the guard arrived.

“It’s going to be alright.”


	5. Chapter 5

Byerly knew he was being increasingly paranoid. But he wouldn’t let the guard take Arkady. He was beginning to wonder if Annabelle had people inside the police force. The guardsman was reticent to let Byerly walk off with an underage girl. But Ivan, thanks to his rank and title was able to offer an oath that he would act as legal guardian for the girl until a suitable replacement could be found. Since Arkady’s closest living relative was on Komarr that could be some time. Unless of course Eva decided she would step in.

Byerly couldn’t help but think back to their first and last meeting. He’d been irritated with the woman for dismissing him as an addict who ruined lives. Considering the recent events, Eva hadn’t been wrong he reflected. It was sheer dumb luck that the girl hadn’t been home when Cato and his groupies had come knocking. Byerly knew now that he wouldn’t have been able to save her. 

As if reading his mind Arkady spoke up from the back seat. 

“I should call Eva,” she said, breaking the silence. 

“It’s late. Does she silence her comm when she goes to bed,” By asked.

“She said she wanted me to call her when I got home. I guess she was worried about me walking home alone at night,” Arkady said.

“Is this a regular thing,” Byerly asked. Was this a ritual for the two of them? Eva likely knew the family’s situation. It did not take a great leap in deduction to assume she was acting in loco parentis for Arkady’s mother.

“Not always, usually when we leave late or there’s some talk going around about gang violence,” Arkady said.

Eva struck Byerly as a survivor. Of course she would know about any upticks in violence. Her patients trusted her with their medical records and bodies. Perhaps they trusted her with other information as well.

“I have a better idea. If Eva really is already staying up late to hear from you, why don’t we simply swing by her place. I’m sure she’ll have some thoughts on where you can stay until,” By paused, damn why had he led them to this cross roads.

“Until we find your brother and a proper guardian,” Ivan finished. 

“Right,” By said. 

Arkady gave them Eva’s address and Byerly drove to the building.

“I’d like to talk to her alone for a few minutes. Arkady would you and Ivan mind waiting ten minutes before coming up,” By said as calmly as possible.

Arkady stared at him uncomprehendingly but nodded.

Ivan had the look of ‘you’d better explain this to me later’, but nodded as well. 

Byerly headed up the stairs to Eva’s flat. The building was slightly nicer than Arkady’s but not a huge difference. Working at a community clinic probably didn’t pay well, Byerly supposed. By could see the lights were still on from the crack under her door.

He knocked.

No answer.

He knocked again.

“I know you’re in there, and I can do this all night,” Byerly said pounding louder on the door.

“And I can call the guard to have you removed,” Eva declared angrily as she opened the door.

“Is that before or after you tell Arkady you knew her father would be killed tonight,” Byerly hissed.

Eva’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t deny the accusation.

She turned around and headed into the apartment. 

“Come in if you must,” she said moving to her kitchen where water was boiling.

“Do you usually keep her late, helping you work or will she figure out something odd happened today once her head clears,” Byerly asked conversationally.

“Arkady stays to help clean up at the end of the day when she can. But she’s gotten so efficient at it that it was difficult to not raise her suspicions. God knows I had to find extra work for her to do tonight,” Eva admitted.

“How did you know there was going to be a murder tonight,” Byerly demanded.

Eva waved a hand, “as a doctor in that clinic I see all kinds of patients, including criminals. We can’t turn them away without risking death so we take them in, patch them up and send them on their way. Some of them try to repay the favor with information.”

“Cato was in a good mood and told you he was going to tear apart a family,” Byerly asked incredulously.

“Not Cato no, his apprentice Anatoli, the boy with green hair and no sense, warned me. He’s seen Arkady around. I think he has a crush on her. So I kept her late tonight,” Eva stated.

The kettle whistled and she turned off the stove. 

“But not the brother,” By noted coldly.

Eva shook her head, “as I said some of the criminals are willing to pass on information. But as you’ve met Cato before you know he isn’t one of them. He likes his job and I’m sure his orders entailed killing the father and taking Arkady. He couldn’t find Arkady at the flat so he settled for Piotr in the moment. Now how do you think he would have handled the situation if neither child was there? I didn’t want him to come looking for them, especially knowing that he could find out they are close to me.”

“So you sacrificed one to save the other,” Byerly asked. 

Eva shrugged, “would you have preferred if I’d taken Piotr out and let Arkady go home? Can you imagine what Cato would be doing to her now?”

Byerly could easily imagine that scenario. It made him ill. 

“Can you imagine what he might be doing to Piotr right now,” By shot back.

The woman was human enough that By a ripple of shame passed through her features. But she busied herself with her tea.

“At least with a boy the violence is clean,” Eva murmured, not meeting Byerly’s eye.

“Why didn’t you report this information to the guard,” Byerly demanded.

“What would they do? Place an outer perimeter guard around the family? Things don’t work like that for the non-vor, Vorrutyer. Would they arrest Cato? Unlikely, but even if they did the first job of his replacement would be to find and kill me,” Eva explained.

“I’ll make a deal with you. I won’t tell Arkady you let her father die, but she can’t stay here,” Byerly said.

“What right do you have to make such a deal? You’ve never had to make a difficult decision in your life. You’ve never had to decide whether to take the tram home or eat lunch one day,” Eva accused.

“I’ve never withheld information that I knew would kill someone,” By said. Granted he’d withheld information that had lead to a death in the past. By didn’t pretend his hands were clean.

Eva shook her head and steeped her tea.

“You like her now, but what will you do with Arkady when she stops playing into your little fantasy,” Eva asked.

“I don’t have any fantasies about her. Arkady is a child. I’m just trying to help,” By stated. Not that it had done her any good.

Eva snorted, “they don’t have to be sexual fantasies. You could have a fabulous fantasy about her looking up to you as a protector. Maybe she doesn’t need your kind of protection.”

“Does she need yours? You seem to have some fantasy of her as your daughter,” By shot back.

He’d noticed the barren, barely lived in feel of the home as soon as he’d walked in. There were very few personal effects present in either the kitchen or living room. No man who could have been her husband or lover had come out to accost Byerly for the way he was talking to Eva. No drawings from grand children or toys were left out.

Eva looked shocked at By’s accusation but quickly recovered.

“What can you expect from an old woman alone? I’d always wanted children. But I couldn’t bring myself to remarry after my husband Johann died. He was a soldier, and one of the first hostages taken during the Pretendership. He was killed rather quickly when the Pretender’s army found out that no one would bother to ransom a prole. No one seems to care about you so long as you’re not Vor,” Eva noted staring daggers at By.

“If that’s true then what’s to stop Cato from coming back and snatching Arkady away from you? Like you said, there’s not much you could do to stop it,” By pointed out.

A knock came at the door and Eva glanced through the peephole before opening it.

“Arkady, Vorrutyer told me about what happened to your family. I’m so sorry,” Eva said hugging the girl. 

Arkady seemed poised to cry again.

“Eva and I were discussing where you should stay before your uncle returns from Komarr,” By said.

Eva glared at Byerly.

“We’ve agreed it would be too dangerous for both you and Eva if you stayed here,” By said.

“Well where did you want to put her. Do you know the kind of hysteria that would set in if I kept a teenage girl at my place,” Ivan noted, preemptively backing out of any additional responsibility.

“At least yours would be well guarded. Mine is meant to be chic, not protective so that’s out. What about your mother’s,” By asked.

“With Simon,” Ivan asked incredulously.

Not that there was anything wrong with the former chief of ImpSec per se. But it might be too much for a girl who’d just lost her father and brother to deal with him on the same night. Besides, if they introduced her to Illyan he might want to critique By’s methods. That was a wringing out By wanted to avoid just now. He was too raw at the moment.

“Dono’s,” Ivan suggested.

“Your cousin the count,” Arkady asked in confusion turning to Byerly.

By considered it, the household would be secure. Dono would demand information of course. He was not going to allow himself to be kept in the dark. By couldn’t blame him after the near horror of that misadventure with Richars. 

“I don’t even have a change of clothes,” Arkady fretted.

Arkady suddenly seemed worried about the dish towels as the house was burning down around her. But Byerly guessed she was still in shock.

“Dono probably still has plenty of women’s clothes lying around,” Ivan attempted to assure her.

The girl only looked more startled by this.

“Wait, is she the count who is secretly a woman,” Arkady asked. Sex swapping was still frowned upon and widely misunderstood on conservative Barrayar.

“She’s all man right now I can assure you,” Ivan muttered.

“Anyway how is this going to help find Piotr,” Arkady demanded.

Byerly ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He didn’t know that either. Annabelle Vortela seemed to be one step ahead of him at every turn. She’d gone so far as to mock him by letting him put a tracking device on Cato so Byerly could watch the man destroy a family.

“There has to be a way to bring this back to Annabelle,” By said in frustration.

“Who is Annabelle? You said it was Cato who did this,” Arkady said.

“Cato works for Annabelle Vortela,” By said.

The two women exchanged looks.

“Cato works for a drug pusher named Maximilian Vagin,” Eva stated.

Then why had Cato assaulted By in the alleyway with his subordinates? Had Annabelle contracted the work out? That seemed unlikely, she struck him as a control freak. But then again maybe she was making a habit of using men as the face of her operations. A woman wouldn’t be taken seriously in any sort of criminal underworld on Barrayar. It also meant she’d have an easier time legally if there was a man to take the fall. Misogyny seemed to hurt everyone, By decided.

By blinked at this, “Is Maximilian Vagin a barrel chested man with a neat beard?”

Eva nodded. That was the man By had seen sitting at the booth that Cato was nearby. By had assumed Cato was Annabelle’s man, moving to pass a message. But Cato must have belonged to that man. Perhaps he had given a message to Annabelle and was returning with a reply. 

But what was Annabelle doing getting involved with a drug pusher? She was already busy with her restaurant and taking care of her brother’s company while a new president could be found. The VP had stepped down amid scandal after Anton was arrested. Not that anyone was likely contacting them about putting up more buildings at the moment, By decided. So maybe she wasn’t so busy.

 

Dono had raised an eyebrow at them when they showed up at his front door. But Dono Vorrutyer could never be accused of being a poor host and invited them in. Byerly explained as much as he dared to about the night’s events to Dono, with some interjections from Ivan. Arkady faded into the background, choosing to stick closely to Ivan. Not that By blamed her, Ivan was certainly the more honest and trustworthy of the two of them. 

Dono for his part was friendly with the girl and agreed to look after her while this case got sorted out. As the conversation died and By couldn’t find anything else useful to say Dono took Arkady off to bed. Ivan left, complaining about how busy he was, but left his commcard with Arkady. She’d offered a weak smile and accepted it. 

“I could punch you if you’d like,” Dono said emerging into the library where Byerly sat, brandy in hand.

By raised an eyebrow at this, “I remember the last time you punched me. I’d really like to avoid that.”

It had been after Dono’s near castration at the hands of Richars. By had overestimated Richar’s patience. It seemed this time he’s underestimated Annabelle’s ruthlessness.

Dono threw himself into a chair opposite Byerly. 

“I would like to go to bed as well at some point. So if there’s anything I can do to speed up your sulking, please inform me,” Dono said.

“Sulking? Hardly, I have more style than that. I’m brooding,” Byerly stated.

“You’re looking for someone to punish you right now,” Dono insisted while shrewdly studying his cousin.

“I’m just quietly drinking some damned brandy,” Byerly said irritably. 

“Well when you’re done feeling sorry for yourself maybe we can focus on how to help Arkady, eh,” Dono said.

“I’m trying dammnit! Not that she wants any of my help at this point. I’m sure Arkady would prefer it if I stopped putting my feet in her business,” By said.

“Well certainly if you keep acting like a complete ass to her,” Dono said.

“Me,” Byerly demanded in outraged innocence.

“You yelled at her just after she came in,” Dono pointed at.

“I wanted her away from the windows, god knows if Annabelle has any more sociopaths hanging around waiting for a chance to get to me through her,” Byerly said.

“Then you yelled at her again when I offered her brandy,” Dono noted.

“Her father was a drug addict, and before he was taking Bellarophon I’m sure he was abusing other substances. No reason to encourage the same pattern in her,” Byerly said.

Dono gave Byerly a hard stare that left him feeling fidgety.

“I don’t want anything worse to happen to her because of me,” By admitted.

“You didn’t shoot her father, Annabelle’s man did. So how is making Arkady’s life miserable going to protect her? You should be focused on Annabelle,” Dono pointed out.

“I have been trying. I don’t know how but she seems able to read my mind and counterassault while my pants are down,” By complained.

Dono shook his head, “you’re ascribing supernatural prowess to the woman. Granted, she’s smart and she’s ruthless. But she’s not operating on her own, she has an army of supporters working with her. Your problem is that you insist on working alone.”

“You’re not going to start quoting Sun Tzu to me and insisting I turn her strengths into weaknesses are you,” By asked.

“I’m telling you to get your head out of your ass and to stop being a little bitch,” Dono said.

By glared at Dono then sighed.

“I’ll work on that,” By said getting up and heading for the door. HE was tired too.

“Byerly,” Dono called.

By turned around.

“Don’t try to look for atonement by getting your head kicked in again. Nobody wants that,” Dono said.

By nodded, “thanks, I think.”

He turned and left.

 

Byerly was driving back to his flat when he got a call on his wristcomm. It was from an unknown number.

I hope it’s a lost delivery man or telemarketer, By thought as he opened the channel.

“Byerly,” a boy’s voice quavered.

“Piotr,” Byerly demanded. His stomach clenched.

“Meet me at warehouse 14 in Old Town in an hour if you want to see the boy alive. After that hour we start cutting the boy to pieces. If you inform anyone, especially the guard, ImpSec or Ops we cut the boy to pieces. If you bring weapons or recording devices we cut the boy to pieces,” a man stated.

Byerly recognized the voice as Cato’s. The line went dead.

Byerly redialed and got a message that the number was no longer in service.


	6. Chapter 6

Byerly arrived at Warehouse 14. It was an older warehouse, set to be demolished soon and replaced with condos. The real estate was too precious at this point to allow the building to peacefully decay. It needed to be helped along. 

The door to the warehouse stood open, an obvious trap, By decided. But he didn’t dare gamble with the situation. Annabelle might be a mother, but she’d shown her willingness to kill, or at least have someone else do the killing for her.

Byerly figured she had watchers around the building to make sure he hadn’t brought anyone with him. 

Byerly took a deep breath. This is going to be the bravest or stupidest thing I do, he thought. Then decided it could be the bravest and stupidest thing he would ever do. No reason the two concepts were mutually exclusive.

Byerly entered the building and made his was slowly towards the center of the building. The place was not entirely empty, there were still old parts of machinery present. Probably bits and pieces of lightflyer parts that the owner had found cheaper to leave or couldn’t resell, By decided. 

“Is anyone here? It would be embarrassing if I went to the wrong address,” By commented out loud.

Byerly caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned around to see Cato. 

“I see someone let you out of your cage,” By observed.

Cato made no comment. Byerly saw the man’s arm come up, stunner in hand, but he wasn’t fast enough to dodge. 

 

Byerly woke on a concrete floor and proceeded to empty his stomach contents. In this process he noted that his shivering was not merely a reaction to the stunner beam. He’d been stripped naked. Either Annabelle had some interesting ideas on how things would progress or she was making damn sure he hadn’t hidden any transmitters or receivers on his body.

By looked up to see Cato leaning against a wall, along with his subordinates, Slim and Anatoli. 

“It’s usually customary to buy me dinner before we get to this stage,” Byerly said shakily.

Cato studied him casually but made no move to attack or comment. As if By wasn't worth the effort.

Anatoli spoke into his wristcomm, “he’s awake milady.”

Byerly looked around the room they were in. It wasn’t large by any means. There were empty metal shelves present but no chairs or other furniture in the room.

“So where is the boy,” Byerly asked.

Was Piotr already dead, By wondered. Perhaps he should have been smarter and asked for proof of life. 

No one answered.

“You know, sitting here naked and covered in my own vomit is not how I’d like to present myself to a lady,” Byerly noted. Though he did not in truth consider Annabelle much of a lady. He was thinking of her as a certain five letter word when the door screeched open.

Annabelle Vortela was dressed like any other dignified vor lady out during the day. She wore a white dress with flower print across it and a bolero jacket to cover her slender shoulders.

“You’ve decided to wear white to this? Don’t you know you can’t get blood out of a dress like that,” By scolded.

Annabelle paused near to Cato and stared down at Byerly in disdain.

“Vorrutyer, I do not understand how you’re mouth can keep moving when you’re brain has obviously been fried by stunner fire,” Annabelle noted.

By smiled, “I’ve done amazing things with my mouth even while I’ve killed my brain with alcohol. If you’d like I could show you. Since I’m already undressed we’re nearly halfway there.”

In truth By would rather bed an anaconda than this woman. But it was almost worth it to offend the woman’s uptight sensibilities.

“Cato, please remind Vorrutyer what it means to speak to a lady,” Annabelle said.

Cato didn’t need to be asked twice. It was only a moment later that By had his head smashed into the concrete floor, face first.

By tasted the blood that poured from his nose. 

“Need I ask why you feel comfortable ordering this beating in person, Annabelle,” By asked.

Annabelle had been so careful up to this point to make sure that she was not clearly connected to the crimes she’d committed, By noted.

She shrugged, “perhaps because the last time things didn’t go as planned.”

“So you’re here to make sure the boys don’t screw up? Or is it truly because you’re fascinated by me,” By asked.

“Fascinated how an alcoholic, womanizing drug user such as yourself could possibly have put my brother in prison, yes,” Annabelle admitted.

“It takes an alcoholic, womanizing drug addict to know an alcoholic, womanizing drug addict. But be honest, you’re here to gloat aren’t you. I’m the only one whose still looking for proof of your criminal activities and now you have me bent over a barrel as they say. Well, not actually bent over a barrel though I could be amenable to that,” Byerly admitted.

Annabelle scowled at his crude humor. She might be making her way in the criminal underworld but she did not find that as an excuse to use inappropriate language, By decided.  
She didn’t reply so much as give a nod to Cato who seemed pleased to bring his boot forcefully into By’s ribs. 

“Admit it Annabelle, you’ll be bored when I’m dead. I assume you plan on killing me since you’ve shown your face. But I do think it pertinent to remind you that I am an ImpSec agent and that murdering me is assuredly against the law” By informed the group.

He didn’t have qualms about revealing his identity, she had to know what he was. 

A corner of Annabelle’s mouth twitched up, “We’re not going to kill you. You’re going to kill yourself, and the boy.”

“That won’t happen,” By said automatically. Not willingly anyway. 

“But I’ve found that there are a variety of drugs available for any activity you can think of. Have you heard of Rapture, the aphrodisiac from Jackson’s Whole? With just a pinch of it you can make anyone find their partner to be irresistible, even if it is a child. The story will no doubt horrify and titillate audiences when they hear you raped the brother of the girl who saved your life and then murdered him and killed yourself. The wounds will look self-inflicted. Considering you are a Vorrutyer, no one will be surprised,” Annabelle noted.

Her eyes danced as By failed to immediately control his expression.

“Have I finally impressed you, Vorrutyer,” Annabelle asked.

“You’ve lured me into a trap, stripped me naked and now you’re not merely threatening to murder me, you intend to torture and murder a child. How do you sleep at night,” Byerly asked in disgust.

“Peacefully,” Annabelle bit out.

“In the arms of Maximillain Vagin? That is how you’re borrowing his subordinates isn’t it? I can’t imagine Cato and his cronies are here out of some sense of chivalry,” Byerly noted.

“Vagin and I are business partners, as such he has leant me his men,” Annabelle stated in displeasure. She was clearly tired of people thinking she had only her body to offer. Byerly could almost sympathize. If only Annabelle hadn't just threatened to murder him and a child.

“Not that you trust them completely, or you wouldn’t be here to supervise,” Byerly guessed.

Annabelle did not respond to that, but a subtle tensing in Cato’s expression suggested Byerly was spot on. They’d failed to kill By in that alleyway and Annabelle still couldn’t decide if that failure was purposeful. She was here to make sure he died, because Annabelle didn’t trust anyone else to cover her tracks.

 

“So your brother’s construction company buys certain equipment and building supplies off planet, that comes through Komarr and that’s where you pick up the drug Bellarophon which gets packaged in with your legitimate purchases. Is that it? My bet is that you didn’t sign on for this though, I mean what proper vor lady wants to sell drugs to proles? You’re too snobby for that,” Byerly noted.

Annabelle scowled, “enough, bring in the boy.”

Cato nodded to Anatoli who slipped out.

Annabelle studied Byerly with a palapable look of displeasure.

“But it was your brother who agreed to work with Vagin wasn’t it? Anton was taking drugs from Vagin and I’ll bet Vagin offered him a steep discount if Anton helped with the shipment of drugs. I bet it must gall you to know that despite your intelligence even your little brother still doesn’t bother to consult you on criminal activities,” By commented snidely.

“Vorrutyer, why aren’t you afraid,” Annabelle asked quietly. She seemed to know that something was wrong.

By laughed harshly at that, “on the contrary, after hearing your plans for me I’m terrified of you.”

The door burst open behind Annabelle. Byerly flattened himself against the ground as a hail of stunner fire was sprayed through the room downing Annabelle, Slim, and Cato. 

In marched several humorless ImpSec men followed by Dono and a handful of his armsmen.

“Christ By, is this how Annabelle Vortela entertains men,” Dono asked.

“Seems like it,” By managed, rising slowly and shakily to his feet. 

“And the boy, Piotr,” By asked looking at the ImpSec captain who was busy handcuffing the unconscious criminals. You don’t need to handcuff unconscious people, they’re not going to run away, By wanted to point out. But far be it for him to tell the regulars how to do their job.

“Your boy Anatoli brought him around. He’s waiting in the hall,” Dono noted.

“Oh, good, I figure the kid doesn’t need to see me like this. God knows he might get a good look at me and grow up never feeling like a real man,” By said.

Dono snorted but didn’t comment.

“Could I have something to wear,” By asked.

He was handed clothing that was decidedly more militant than what he typically wore. Byerly was typically happy to point out that he might be penniless, but not tasteless. He kept his mouth shut this time.

“You put a great deal of trust in that boy,” Dono observed, indicating Anatoli.

“Hardly, I put a great deal of trust in his willingness to avoid prison time,” Byerly scoffed.

Eva had mentioned having Anatoli as a patient, which had meant the boy had to list contact information. Byerly had made a call over his encrypted commcall to both his ImpSec handler and Dono about the green haired boy. A deal had been struck between the boy and ImpSec, the details of which Byerly had not been present to hash out. Suffice it to say the boy was likely being pardoned for his role as one of Vagin's foot soldiers. The outcome was Anatoli would act as a mole during this meeting and would hand over all other information he knew abotu Vagin's current drug operation. Anatoli wore the transmitter and tracking device so ImpSec could follow Byerly's kidnapping. Dono's men had been allowed to come as part of Byerly's cover for leaving this place. 

“Three can keep a secret if two are dead,” Dono noted. He’d obviously been saying something more but Byerly was tired now and wanted nothing more than to lie down for a few hours without someone trying to murder him.

“You think Annabelle will get convicted this time,” Byerly asked no one in particular.

“She did threaten to murder you even after you identified yourself as an ImpSec agent,” Dono noted, studying By sideways.

“Now let’s just hope she doesn’t send anyone to try to kill me while she’s in prison,” By said.

“You are still allowed to stay at my place, if you’d like,” Dono said.

“What? Now that you’ve got two kids to look after,” By asked.

“Only for a few weeks, their uncle is coming back from Komarr as we speak. I imagine they’ll be leaving with him. So if you wanted to play fairy godfather to Arkady and Piotr now is the time to do it,” Dono noted.

“I’m not equipped for that,” Byerly said.

“You did just save the boy's life,” Dono noted.

“Only because I got his father killed after his sister saved my life,” Byerly said, tartly.

Dono rolled his eyes, “when you’re done being a prick, come see the kids before they go. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”


	7. Epilogue

Ivan had come to the funeral ceremony. It had been weeks since Arkady’s father had died and his body had already been cremated. But Arkady’s uncle Grigori had only arrived to set up the more intensive funeral rites. The uncle guided Piotr’s hand during the offering. He was a tall man with a clean shaven face and serious eyes. 

The rites were performed in a room much smaller than what Ivan had seen for a high vor funeral. But then the guests who had come to pay their respects were also fewer. Some friends and neighbors of the family had arrived to pay their final respects. Ivan was surprised to see Eva there, based on what he’d heard from Byerly. But he was not going to be the one to cause a scene.

Ivan glanced over at Byerly who had kept himself at the periphery of this event, even though Dono and Olivia were there as well. 

When Byerly stepped out after the end of the ceremony, Ivan followed him hoping the other man had brought a flask to this event. Ivan felt like he needed it.

Byerly stepped out unto the sidewalk outside the funeral home and true to form drew a flask from his pocket. He glanced over as Ivan came out as well. By uncapped the flask and took a drink.

“So Arkady is staying,” Ivan asked. He’d dropped by to visit the kids twice a week since the father had been murdered. Ivan had to of course, he was still the one who had sworn an oath to look after Arkady. Never mind that Dono had taken a similar oath to look after the two minors in his care. Dono had also been the one to discuss legal guardianship with Arkady’s uncle Grigori once the man had arrived.

By nodded and offered Ivan his flask. “Grigori was initially reluctant to let Arkady stay here without him. But he’s already got three kids of his own and he knows Dono is giving the girl a full scholarship to the colleges in his district. Grigori will be taking Piotr back with him though.”

“That’ll be tough for her,” Ivan thought. First Arkady had lost her father and now her brother would be on another planet.

By shrugged, “Arkady could go with her uncle but he doesn’t have the money to feed all the kids he has and pay for any continuing education. I suppose in all it would be easier if Imperial Ops sent him back here with his family. But you know that the Imperial Service doesn’t cave to the whims of Counts like that. So Dono can’t exactly ask for Grigori to be transferred here.”

Ivan took another swig of the flask. 

“So where is the kid going for holidays and things,” Ivan asked. He thought it would be depressing if she were all alone in her dorm room for Winterfair.

“Dono has already decided that Arkady will spend holidays at his place. He will still be responsible for her until she reaches age of majority. Arkady likes him so I’m not worried about that,” By said.

“Yeah? Is Dono also going to be the one to screen her potential suitors,” Ivan asked By teasingly.

“No, I’ll do that. If any of them seem like trouble I can just plant incriminating evidence on them,” By said recapping his flask and heading back indoors.

“That was a joke, right,” Ivan asked By’s back uncertainly.

Byerly offered a Vorrutyer smile before going back in for the reception.


End file.
